


and the kisses flow

by Teddydora



Series: caledonia [7]
Category: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard - Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Book 3: The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson), Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:14:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27659339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teddydora/pseuds/Teddydora
Summary: Magnus watched as they soared over the bay and flew toward the eastern hills before running to join his uncle.“Magnus… what’s that sword? Did you rob Randolph before you left Boston? And why is it floating? Does it talk too?”Magnus gets roped into the final battle of the Titan's Curse after staying with his uncle.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase & Frederick Chase, Annabeth Chase (Percy Jackson) & Magnus Chase, Annabeth Chase (Percy Jackson) & Percy Jackson, Magnus Chase & Frederick Chase, Magnus Chase & Percy Jackson, Magnus Chase & Thalia Grace
Series: caledonia [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1953517
Comments: 9
Kudos: 39





	and the kisses flow

Magnus hated this. He hated all of it. He hated the trip to the bridge, the feeling of the bumpy road from the backseat of his uncle’s BMW making him feel ill. He hated standing out in the December weather, the snow cold and wet underfoot. He hated holding his hand over the Charles River, looking like an idiot. He hated the feeling of the gross slimy corroded metal and he hated how  _ weird _ it was - that it was now a sword. A fucking sword. Most of all - he hated being chucked into a taxi and sent to Frederick's new place in San Francisco “so they couldn’t find him”. 

Whoever  _ they _ were, Magnus didn’t see how he couldn’t stay with his mom and tell them right where they could get off. Nevertheless, less than two weeks to the new year Magnus Chase arrived in California, completely pissed off. 

Life was pretty quiet for four days - Magnus stayed in a guest bedroom and only left for meals and solitary walks. Then, they had guests. 

Percy Jackson and Thalia Grace were at the door. Along with a pretty but terrifying silvery teenager with a bow. Helen had come and knocked on his door, saying that there were people in Frederick’s office to see him, he walked there and was immediately engulfed in a hug à la Thalia. The girl, Zoe, apparently, looked on curiously and Percy hung back, an awkward and worried smile on his face. 

Magnus hadn’t managed to get to know Percy all that well before he went home but what did know was that something must be seriously wrong for him to look like that. And there was no Annabeth. And Magnus’ stomach dropped. 

“Annabeth… is she… is that why you’re here?” Percy nodded,

“She’s not… dead. We’re here on a quest because Artemis and her are missing. We think they’re being held on Mount Tam but we kinda need a car. Dr. Chase,” he turned to Uncle Frederick, “Can we borrow your car?”

Frederick’s normally dazed-unless-staring-at-a-plane-or-plane-model expression was gone, completely erased by fear, worry and confusion. “Of course.”

“Yeah and I’m coming with you guys,” Magnus interjected. Zoe looked like she wanted to complain but Thalia nodded, “Sure, we could use a healer. But you follow my lead if you’re coming.” She wagged her finger in his face, just like she did when they were younger. Magnus nodded somberly. He wanted Annabeth to be safe - to okay  _ okay. _ But right now she wasn’t and he wasn’t going to let that continue. 

\---

With Zoe driving, and Thalia in the front seat, Percy and Magnus were confined to the back. “So why’re you here instead of your mom’s place, kid, is she okay?” Thalia asked.

“Yeah my mom’s fine, there was just this thing with a magic sword and the Charles river and apparently its connected to my dad,” Percy’s eyes widened, “But I have no idea how or who he even is but I pulled the sword from the river and now I have to go away until things settle down or whatever.” 

“Well.” 

“Do you have the sword or like…?” tailed off Percy, gesticulating awkwardly in circles. 

“Yeah I got it, it does pendant form apparently, which is a relief because that would be hard to explain.” He carefully showed Percy the runestone with the weird “F” thing carved into it, hoping that he wouldn’t actually activate it. 

For a second Magnus thought Percy might give him some wise insight or at least advice but he just said, “Cool.” 

“Is thy father an Olympian, new _ boy _ ?” Zoe said the last part as if it were an insult. Magnus didn’t remember much from pre tree, the memories difficult to recall because she had seemed familiar.

“I’m sorry but have we met before, I don’t remember a lot from when I was younger.”

‘Wait, why’s that?” Percy jumped back into the conversation,

“Chiron says I probably blocked out some trauma. So like I remember stuff before running away but parts of being on the run are just massive blanks for me. As for my father, I mean, yeah, I guess.”

“We have met, child, you encountered us when you were a child and Artemis and I attempted to recruit both Thalia and Annabeth to the hunt. Obviously that failed.” 

“I couldn’t abandon Luke and Magnus, neither could Annabeth!”

“Let us just hope this one doesn’t also betray the gods.” Zoe’s tone was exhausted, like she was tired of the argument. Or maybe life in general.

“So. What’s actually happened on this quest.” Percy went quiet, as did Thalia, so Zoe related the entire thing, barely stopping for breath, except for the part when the other girl… Bianca? Except for when she died.

“Woah. Um.” Magnus was stunned speechless. 

"Can't this thing go any faster?" Thalia demanded. 

Zoe glared at her. "I cannot control traffic." 

"You both sound like my mother," Percy and Magnus said, immediately high fiving. 

"Shut up!" they said in unison. Zoe weaved in and out of traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. The sun was sinking on the horizon when we finally got into Marin County and exited the highway. The roads were insanely narrow, winding through forests and up the sides of hills and around the edges of steep ravines. Zoe didn't slow down at all. 

"Why does everything smell like cough drops?" Magnus asked. 

"Eucalyptus." Zoe pointed to the huge trees all around us. 

"The stuff koala bears eat?" 

"And monsters," she said. "They love chewing the leaves. Especially dragons." 

"Dragons chew eucalyptus leaves?" Percy sounded amazed. 

"Believe me," Zoe said, "if you had dragon breath, you would chew eucalyptus too. 

Ahead of them loomed Mount Tamalpais. Magnus had climbed plenty of mountains with his mom and compared, this one wasn’t massive, but it looked plenty huge as they were driving toward it. 

"So that's the Mountain of Despair?" Percy asked. 

"Yes," Zoe said tightly. 

"Why do they call it that?" She was silent for almost a mile before answering. Magnus fiddled with his new necklace. He hated awkward silences. 

"After the war between the Titans and the gods, many of the Titans were punished and imprisoned. Kronos was sliced to pieces and thrown into Tartarus. Kronos's right-hand man, the general of his forces, was imprisoned up there, on the summit, just beyond the Garden of the Hesperides." 

"The General," Percy said. 

Magnus noticed, at the peak, it seemed as if there were clouds swirling around and almost trying to draw them in, spinning them like a top. 

"What's going on up there? A storm?" Zoe didn't answer. Magnus got the feeling she knew exactly what the clouds meant, and she didn't like it. 

"We have to concentrate," Thalia said. "The Mist is really strong here." 

"The magical kind or the natural kind?" Magnus asked. 

"Both." The gray clouds swirled even thicker over the mountain, and they kept driving straight toward them. They were out of the forest now, into wide open spaces of cliffs and grass and rocks and fog. 

Percy momentarily glanced down at the ocean as we passed a scenic curve, and obviously saw something that made him jump out of his seat. 

"Look!" But they had turned a corner and the ocean disappeared behind the hills. 

"What?" Thalia asked. "A big white ship," he said. "Docked near the beach. It looked like a cruise ship." Her eyes widened. 

"Luke's ship?" Magnus bit his lip. The last time he saw Luke, he was trying to save Thalia. Then Luke poisoned his tree and apparently betrayed the gods and demigods. Trying to burn down the world and rebuild it better or something. 

"We will have company, then," Zoe said grimly. "Kronos's army." 

Magnus suddenly felt the static in the air. Thalia shouted, "Stop the car. NOW!" Zoe must've sensed something was wrong, because she slammed on the brakes without question. The yellow VW spun twice before coming to a stop at the edge of the cliff. 

"Out!" Thalia opened the door and pushed out the boys hard. They all rolled onto the pavement. The next second: BOOOM! Lightning flashed, and Uncle Frederick’s Volkswagen erupted like a canary-yellow grenade. Magnus probably would've been killed by shrapnel except for him pulling out the sword, which was glowing and almost dancing in midair, casting the flying debris away from him. Whatever. Magnus could deal with the mindfuck of a seemingly sentient weapon later. The car was the worse issue. Part of the VW's fender had impaled itself in the street. The smoking hood was spinning in circles. Pieces of yellow metal were strewn across the road. Magnus swallowed the taste of smoke out of his mouth, and looked at where Percy and Thalia were lying on the ground under Aegis beside him. 

"You saved my life." Percy said to her, 

"One shall perish by a parent's hand" she muttered. "Curse him. He would destroy me? Me?" It took Magnus a second to realize she was talking about her dad. 

"Oh, hey, that couldn't have been Zeus's lightning bolt. No way." Percy was obviously trying to placate her but Magnus could tell he wasn’t sure himself. 

"Whose, then?" Thalia demanded. "I don't know. Zoe said Kronos's name. Maybe he—" Thalia shook her head, looking angry and stunned. "No. That wasn't it." 

"Wait," Magnus said. "Where's Zoe? Zoe!" They got up and ran around the blasted VW. Nothing inside. Nothing either direction down the road. I looked down the cliff. No sign of her. "Zoe!" Percy shouted. 

Then she was standing right next to Percy, pulling him by his arm. "Silence, fool! Do you want to wake Ladon?" 

"You mean we're here? Wait, what’s that - why do you have a flying sword Magnus? That’s so  _ cool! _ ” 

“No time to explain. We need to get Annabeth. Also I don’t know why either.”

Sheets of fog were drifting right across the road. Zoe stepped into one of them, and when the fog passed, she was no longer there. 

Thalia, Percy and Magnus looked at each other. "Concentrate on Zoe," Thalia advised. "We are following her. Go straight into the fog and keep that in mind." 

"Wait, Thalia. About what happened back on the pier… I mean, with the manticore and the sacrifice—" 

"I don't want to talk about it." 

"You wouldn't actually have… you know?" She hesitated. 

"I was just shocked. That's all." 

"Zeus didn't send that lighting bolt at the car. It was Kronos. He's trying to manipulate you, make you angry at your dad." She took a deep breath. Magnus felt like he was watching an extremely tense and stressful tennis match.

"Percy, I know you're trying to make me feel better. Thanks. But come on. We need to go." She stepped into the fog, into the Mist, and the boys followed. 

When the fog cleared, they were still on the side of the mountain, but the road was dirt. The grass was thicker. The sunset made a blood red slash across the sea. The summit of the mountain seemed closer now, swirling with storm clouds and raw power. There was only one path to the top, directly in front of them. And it led through a lush meadow of shadows and flowers: the garden of twilight. 

If it hadn't been for the enormous dragon, the garden would've been the most beautiful place Magnus had ever seen. 

The grass shimmered with silvery evening light, and the flowers were such brilliant colors they almost glowed in the dark. Stepping stones of polished black marble led around either side of a five-story-tall apple tree, every bough glittering with golden apples, and not yellow golden apples like in the grocery store. Like real golden apples. Magnus couldn’t describe why they were so appealing, but as soon as he smelled their fragrance, he knew that one bite would be the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted. 

"The apples of immortality," Thalia said. "Hera's wedding gift from Zeus." He wanted to step right up and pluck one, except for the dragon coiled around the tree.

The serpent's body was as thick as a booster rocket, glinting with coppery scales. He had more heads than Magnus could count, as if a hundred deadly pythons had been fused together. He appeared to be asleep. The heads lay curled in a big spaghetti-like mound on the grass, all the eyes closed. 

Then the shadows in front of us began to move. There was a beautiful, eerie singing, like voices from the bottom of a well. Percy reached for Riptide, but Zoe stopped his hand. Four figures shimmered into existence, four young women who looked very much like Zoe. They all wore white Greek chitons. Their skin was like caramel. Silky black hair tumbled loose around their shoulders. They looked just like Zoe—gorgeous, and probably very dangerous. 

"Sisters," Zoe said. 

"We do not see any sister," one of the girls said coldly. "We see three half-bloods, a magical sword and a Hunter. All of whom shall soon die." 

"You've got it wrong." Percy stepped forward. "Nobody is going to die." The girls studied him and Magnus fought the urge to pull him behind his body, the idiot.

"Perseus Jackson," one of them said. 

"Yes," mused another. "I do not see why he is a threat." 

"Who said I was a threat?" 

The first Hesperid glanced behind her, toward the top of the mountain. "They fear thee. They are unhappy that this one has not yet killed thee." She pointed at Thalia. 

"Tempting sometimes," Thalia admitted. "But no, thanks. He's my friend." 

"There are no friends here, daughter of Zeus," the girl said. "Only enemies. Go back." 

"Not without Annabeth," Thalia said. 

"And Artemis," Zoe said. "We must approach the mountain." "You know he will kill thee," the girl said. "You are no match for him."

"Artemis must be freed," Zoe insisted. "Let us pass."

The glowing sword had stationed itself threateningly between Magnus and the nymph-ladies-whatever. He was glad - they were ignoring him now and hopefully it stayed that way for a while. 

The girl shook her head. "You have no rights here anymore. We have only to raise our voices and Ladon will wake." 

"He will not hurt me," Zoe said. 

"No? And what about thy so-called friends?" Then Zoe did the last thing Magnus expected. 

She shouted, "Ladon! Wake!" The dragon stirred, glittering like a mountain of pennies. The Hesperides yelped and scattered. 

The lead girl said to Zoe, "Are you mad?" 

"You never had any courage, sister," Zoe said. "That is thy problem." The dragon Ladon was writhing now, a hundred heads whipping around, tongues flickering and tasting the air. Zoe took a step forward, her arms raised. 

"Zoe, don't," Thalia said. "You're not a Hesperid anymore. He'll kill you." 

"Ladon is trained to protect the tree," Zoe said. "Skirt around the edges of the garden. Go up the mountain. As long as I am a bigger threat, he should ignore thee." 

"Should," I said. "Not exactly reassuring." 

"It is the only way," she said. "Even the three of us together cannot fight him." Ladon opened his mouths. The sound of a hundred heads hissing at once sent a shiver down my back, and that was before his breath hit me. The smell was like acid. It made Magnus’ eyes burn, his skin crawl, and his hair stand on end. He remembered when the Korean BBQ below his apartment shut down for a few weeks and never cleared up the remaining food. This stench was like that, except a hundred times stronger, and mixed with the smell of chewed eucalyptus. Magnus promised himself right then that he would never ask a school nurse for another cough drop.

Thalia went left. Percy and Magnus went right. Zoe walked straight toward the monster. 

"It's me, my little dragon," Zoe said. "Zoe has come back." Ladon shifted forward, then back. Some of the mouths closed. Some kept hissing. Dragon confusion. Meanwhile, the Hesperides shimmered and turned into shadows. 

The voice of the eldest whispered, "Fool." 

"I used to feed thee by hand," Zoe continued, speaking in a soothing voice as she stepped toward the golden tree. "Do you still like lamb's meat?"

The dragon's eyes glinted. The demigods were about halfway around the garden. Ahead, Magnus could see a single rocky trail leading up to the black peak of the mountain. 

The storm swirled above it, spinning on the summit like it was the axis for the whole world. They'd almost made it out of the meadow when something went wrong. Magnus felt the dragon's mood shift. Maybe Zoe got too close. Maybe the dragon realized he was hungry. Whatever the reason, he lunged at Zoe. Two thousand years of training kept her alive. 

She dodged one set of slashing fangs and tumbled under another, weaving through the dragon's heads as she ran in our direction, gagging from the monster's horrible breath. Magnus went to grab the sword and Percy drew Riptide to help. 

"No!" Zoe panted. "Run!" The dragon snapped at her side, and Zoe cried out. Thalia uncovered Aegis, and the dragon hissed. In his moment of indecision, Zoe sprinted past us up the mountain, and we followed. 

The dragon didn't try to pursue. He hissed and stomped the ground, but Magnus supposed he was well trained to guard that tree. He wasn't going to be lured off even by the tasty prospect of eating some heroes. 

They ran up the mountain as the Hesperides resumed their song in the shadows behind us. The music didn't sound so beautiful to me now—more like the sound track for a funeral.

At the top of the mountain were ruins, blocks of black granite and marble as big as houses. Broken columns. Statues of bronze that looked as though they'd been half melted. 

"The ruins of Mount Othrys," Thalia whispered in awe. 

"Yes," Zoe said. "It was not here before. This is bad." 

"What's Mount Othrys?" Magnus asked, feeling like a fool as usual. 

"The mountain fortress of the Titans," Zoe said. "In the first war, Olympus and Othrys were the two rival capitals of the world. Othrys was—" She winced and held her side. 

"You're hurt," Magnus realised. "Let me see. I’m a healer, I can help." 

"No! It is nothing. I was saying… in the first war, Othrys was blasted to pieces."

"But… how is it here?" 

Thalia looked around cautiously as we picked our way through the rubble, past blocks of marble and broken archways. "It moves in the same way that Olympus moves. It always exists on the edges of civilization. But the fact that it is here, on this mountain, is not good." 

"Why?" "This is Atlas's mountain," Zoe said. "Where he holds—" She froze. Her voice was ragged with despair. "Where he used to hold up the sky." They had reached the summit. A few yards ahead of them, gray clouds swirled in a heavy vortex, making a funnel cloud that almost touched the mountaintop, but instead rested on the shoulders of a twelve-year-old girl with auburn hair and a tattered silvery dress: Artemis, her legs bound to the rock with celestial bronze chains. She looked vaguely familiar to Magnus, although he couldn’t place the memory exactly. 

"My lady!" Zoe rushed forward, but Artemis said, 

"Stop! It is a trap. You must leave now." Her voice was strained. She was drenched in sweat. Magnus had never seen a goddess in pain before, but the weight of the sky was clearly too much for Artemis. Zoe was crying. She ran forward despite Artemis's protests, and tugged at the chains. 

A booming voice spoke behind us: "Ah, how touching." We turned. The General was standing there in his brown silk suit. At his side were Luke and half a dozen dracaenae bearing the golden sarcophagus of Kronos. Annabeth stood at Luke's side. She had her hands cuffed behind her back, a gag in her mouth, and Luke was holding the point of his sword to her throat. She was almost glaring at Percy - trying to tell him that he needed to leave.

"Luke," Thalia snarled. "Let her go." Luke's smile was weak and pale. He looked terrible. 

"That is the General's decision, Thalia. But it's good to see you again, and you too Magnus, you’ve grown," he said fondly - almost fatherly. Magnus felt ill. Thalia spat at him. 

The General chuckled. "So much for old friends. And you, Zoe. It's been a long time. How is my little traitor? I will enjoy killing you." 

"Do not respond," Artemis groaned. "Do not challenge him." 

"Wait a second," Percy said. "You're Atlas?" The General glanced at me. 

"So, even the stupidest of heroes can finally figure something out. Yes, I am Atlas, the general of the Titans and terror of the gods. Congratulations. I will kill you presently, as soon as I deal with this wretched girl." 

"You're not going to hurt Zoe," he said. "I won't let you." Magnus fought the urge to roll his eyes. Percy: challenging yet another immortal to a fight,  _ typical _ . 

The General sneered. "You have no right to interfere, little hero. This is a family matter." Magnus frowned. It was a family matter too for him here. 

"A family matter?" 

"Yes," Zoe said bleakly. "Atlas is my father." 

The horrible thing was: Magnus could see the family resemblance. Atlas had the same regal expression as Zoe, the same cold proud look in his eyes that Zoe sometimes got when she was mad, though on him it looked a thousand times more evil. 

"Let Artemis go," Zoe demanded. Atlas walked closer to the chained goddess. "Perhaps you'd like to take the sky for her, then? Be my guest." Zoe opened her mouth to speak, but Artemis said, 

"No! Do not offer, Zoe! I forbid you." Atlas smirked. He knelt next to Artemis and tried to touch her face, but the goddess bit at him, almost taking off his fingers. 

"Hoo-hoo," Atlas chuckled. "You see, daughter? Lady Artemis likes her new job. I think I will have all the Olympians take turns carrying my burden, once Lord Kronos rules again, and this is the center of our palace. It will teach those weaklings some humility." 

Magnus looked at Annabeth. She was desperately trying to tell Percy something - her gaze never wavering from him. She motioned her head toward Luke. But all Percy did was stare at her - Magnus did too. He hadn't noticed before, but something about her had changed. Her blond hair was now streaked with gray. 

"From holding the sky," Thalia muttered. "The weight should've killed her." 

"I don't understand," Percy said. "Why can't Artemis just let go of the sky?" 

Atlas laughed. "How little you understand, young one. This is the point where the sky and the earth first met, where Ouranos and Gaia first brought forth their mighty children, the Titans. The sky still yearns to embrace the earth. Someone must hold it at bay, or else it would crush down upon this place, instantly flattening the mountain and everything within a hundred leagues. Once you have taken the burden, there is no escape." Atlas smiled. "Unless someone else takes it from you." 

He approached us, studying Thalia, Percy and Magnus. "So these are the best heroes of the age, eh? Not much of a challenge." 

"Fight us," Percy said. "And let's see." 

"Have the gods taught you nothing? An immortal does not fight a mere mortal directly. It is beneath our dignity. I will have Luke crush you instead." 

"So you're another coward," he said. Atlas's eyes glowed with hatred. With difficulty, he turned his attention to Thalia. 

"As for you, daughter of Zeus, it seems Luke was wrong about you." 

"I wasn't wrong," Luke managed. He looked terribly weak, and he spoke every word as if it were painful. If I didn't hate his guts so much, I almost would've felt sorry for him. 

"Thalia, you still can join us. Call the Ophiotaurus. It will come to you. Look!" He waved his hand, and next to us a pool of water appeared: a pond ringed in black marble, big enough for the Ophiotaurus. Magnus recalled Percy saying something about a cow fish thing. 

"Thalia, call the Ophiotaurus," Luke persisted. "And you will be more powerful than the gods." 

"Luke…" Her voice was full of pain. "What happened to you?" 

"Don't you remember all those times we talked? All those times we cursed the gods? Our fathers have done nothing for us. They have no right to rule the world!" 

Thalia shook her head. "Free Annabeth. Let her go." 

"If you join me," Luke promised, "it can be like old times. The four of us together. Fighting for a better world. Please, Thalia, if you don't agree…" His voice faltered. "It's my last chance. He will use the other way if you don't agree. Please. Magnus, you too - your father has never even acknowledged you and was willing to let you die there on Half-Blood Hill - the Titan Army needs you." 

Magnus didn't know what he meant, but the fear in his voice sounded real enough. He believed that Luke was in danger. His life depended on Thalia's joining his cause. And he was afraid Thalia might believe it, too. His father? He didn’t care much for the guy. Didn’t even hate him - it was just a neutral relationship for him. And sure… maybe he wished he tried a bit considering he was an all powerful god but Magnus wasn’t about to sacrifice the world for a case of daddy issues. 

"Do not, Thalia," Zoe warned. "We must fight them." Luke waved his hand again, and a fire appeared. A bronze brazier, just like the one at camp. A sacrificial flame. 

"Thalia," Percy said. "No." Behind Luke, the golden sarcophagus began to glow. As it did, Magnus saw images in the mist all around them: black marble walls rising, the ruins becoming whole, a terrible and beautiful palace rising around us, made of fear and shadow. 

"We will raise Mount Othrys right here," Luke promised, in a voice so strained it was hardly his. "Once more, it will be stronger and greater than Olympus. Look, Thalia. We are not weak." He pointed toward the ocean, and Magnus fought the urge to curse. Marching up the side of the mountain, from the beach where the Princess Andromeda was docked, was a great army. Dracaenae and Laestrygonians, monsters and half-bloods, hellhounds, harpies, and other things Magnus didn’t recognise. They were marching toward them. In a few minutes, they would be here. 

"This is only a taste of what is to come," Luke said. "Soon we will be ready to storm Camp Half-Blood. And after that, Olympus itself. All we need is your help." 

For a terrible moment, Thalia hesitated. She gazed at Luke, her eyes full of pain, as if the only thing she wanted in the world was to believe him. Then she leveled her spear. "You aren't Luke. I don't know you anymore." 

"Yes, you do, Thalia," he pleaded. "Please. Don't make me… Don't make him destroy you." There was no time. If that army got to the top of the hill, we would be overwhelmed. Percy looked at Annabeth meaningfully before turning to Thalia, Magnus and Zoe.

"Now," he said. 

Together, they charged.

Altogether - Magnus managed to block out the battle. He remembered snippets - like Luke badgering him to swap sides while the magic sword tried to kill him, Percy generally being a badass,  _ Percy taking the fucking sky, _ Thalia kicking Luke straight off of a cliff, Artemis and Atlas going one on one and  _ his uncle _ showing up in a  _ biplane with celestial bronze bullets _ and killing all the monsters. That had been insane. 

Then they were in the field and Annabeth and Magnus were talking to him and then - Zoe. 

"Annabeth, Magnus, Percy," Thalia interrupted. Her voice was urgent. She and Artemis were kneeling at Zoe's side, binding the huntress's wounds. The three half bloods ran over to help, but there wasn't much they could do. 

They had no ambrosia or nectar. No regular medicine would help. Even Magnus’ healing didn’t work - a combination of exhaustion from the fight and general personal weakness - in Magnus’ opinion.

It was dark, but Magnus could see that Zoe didn't look good. She was shivering, and the faint glow that usually hung around her was fading. "Can't you heal her with magic?" Percy asked Artemis. "I mean… you're a goddess." 

Artemis looked troubled. "Life is a fragile thing, Percy. If the Fates will the string to be cut, there is little I can do. But I can try." 

She tried to set her hand on Zoe's side, but Zoe gripped her wrist. She looked into the goddess's eyes, and some kind of understanding passed between them.

"Have I… served thee well?" Zoe whispered. "With great honor," Artemis said softly. "The finest of my attendants." Zoe's face relaxed. "Rest. At last." 

"I can try to heal the poison, my brave one." But in that moment, Magnus remembered the line from the prophecy  _ “One shall perish by a parent’s hand” _ He knew it wasn't just the poison that was killing her. It was her father's final blow. Zoe had known all along that the Oracle's prophecy was about her: she would die by a parent's hand. 

And yet she'd taken the quest anyway. She had chosen to save Artemis and Annabeth and Percy and probably Thalia, and Atlas's fury had broken her inside. She saw Thalia, and took her hand. 

"I am sorry we argued," Zoe said. "We could have been sisters." 

"It's my fault," Thalia said, blinking hard. "You were right about Luke, about heroes, men—everything." 

"Perhaps not all men," Zoe murmured. She smiled weakly at Percy. "Do you still have the sword, Percy?" 

He didn’t speak, but brought out Riptide and put the pen in her hand. She grasped it contentedly. "You spoke the truth, Percy Jackson. You are nothing like… like Hercules. I am honored that you carry this sword." 

A shudder ran through her body. "Zoe—" Magnus started.

"Stars," she whispered. "I can see the stars again, my lady." 

A tear trickled down Artemis's cheek. "Yes, my brave one. They are beautiful tonight." 

"Stars," Zoe repeated. Her eyes fixed on the night sky. And she did not move again. 

Thalia lowered her head. Annabeth gulped down a sob, and Uncle Frederick embraced her and Magnus, who was also trying not to cry. They watched as Artemis cupped her hand above Zoe's mouth and spoke a few words in Ancient Greek. 

A silvery wisp of smoke exhaled from Zoe's lips and was caught in the hand of the goddess. Zoe's body shimmered and disappeared. Artemis stood, said a kind of blessing, breathed into her cupped hand and released the silver dust to the sky. 

It flew up, sparkling, and vanished. For a moment Magnus didn't see anything different. Then Annabeth gasped. Looking up in the sky, he saw that the stars were brighter now. They made a pattern he had never noticed before—a gleaming constellation that looked a lot like a girl's figure—a girl with a bow, running across the sky. 

"Let the world honor you, my Huntress," Artemis said. "Live forever in the stars." 

The thunder and lightning were still boiling over Mount Tamalpais in the north. Artemis was so upset she flickered with silver light. This made him nervous, because if she suddenly lost control and appeared in her fully divine form, they would disintegrate by looking at her. 

"I must go to Olympus immediately," Artemis said. "I will not be able to take you, but I will send help. Chase boy - it would be best for you not to be taken notice of by my father anytime soon - return with your uncle."

The goddess set her hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "You are brave beyond measure, my girl. You will do what is right." 

Then she looked quizzically at Thalia, as if she weren't sure what to make of this younger daughter of Zeus. Thalia seemed reluctant to look up, but something made her, and she held the goddess's eyes. He wasn't sure what passed between them, but Artemis's gaze softened with sympathy. Then she turned to Percy. "You did well," she said. "For a man." 

She mounted her chariot, which began to glow. They averted our eyes. There was a flash of silver, and the goddess was gone. 

"Well," Uncle Frederick sighed. "She was impressive; though I must say I still prefer Athena." 

Annabeth turned toward him. "Dad, I… I'm sorry that—" 

"Shh." He hugged her. "Do what you must, my dear. I know this isn't easy for you." His voice was a little shaky, but he gave Annabeth a brave smile. Then Magnus heard the whoosh of large wings. Three pegasi descended through the fog: two white winged horses and one pure black one. 

Uncle Frederick watched them in pure curiosity, "Fascinating," he said. "Such maneuverability! How does the wingspan compensate for the weight of the horse's body, I wonder?” The main horse looked confused. Magnus was used to his uncle’s out-loud thoughts, "Why, if the British had had these pegasi in the cavalry charges on the Crimea, the charge of the light brigade—" 

"Dad!" Annabeth interrupted. Uncle Frederick blinked. He looked at his daughter and managed a smile. 

"I'm sorry, my dear, I know you must go." He gave her one last awkward, well-meaning hug before Magnus did too. He nodded at Thalia and Percy. 

As Annabeth turned to climb aboard the pegasus Guido, he called, "Annabeth. I know… I know San Francisco is a dangerous place for you. But please remember, you always have a home with us. We will keep you safe.” 

Annabeth didn't answer, but her eyes were red as she turned away. Uncle Frederick started to say more, then apparently thought better of it. He raised his hand in a sad farewell and trudged away across the dark field. Thalia and Annabeth and Percy mounted our pegasi. Magnus watched as they soared over the bay and flew toward the eastern hills before running to join his uncle. 

“Magnus… what’s that sword? Did you rob Randolph before you left Boston? And why is it floating? Does it talk too?” To Magnus’ horror it actually did.

“Holas señores.” 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys liked that. It's a bit less sad than some of the other ones and the next bit of this story takes place just before the Last Olympian - heads up. Please comment and leave kudos - they make me remember to write and I like to know what you guys think!
> 
> My tumblr is @mallorykeenwasmylesbianawakening if you want to check it out


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